Remove ads

A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

Reader mode
Azel said:
The sad thing is, they fail at that purpose right off the bat. The total cost per Praetorian is 10,000 IM or more, depending on how you price in the VS, so a hundred of them cost us roughly a million. And thanks to certain people fighting change wherever they can, we now can only make very few of them.

How many thousands Salamanders and Efreeti can the Sultan field again? Ten? A hundred?

Our best bet to survive the planes is still the cannon, not the knock-off Astartes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wouldn't include the cost of gear into the equation, dude. 4000 IM per super-soldier is actually really, really good for what we're getting here. It's important to me, at least, that we're doing so in a neat manner, exploiting our resources to the fullest without actually doing so in what I would think of as a cheesy way.

We are choosing to gear them up in expensive stuff to make them that much more effective, but they would still be pretty great in simple Legion gear.

Sure, we won't be able to field huge armies of them, but that's an issue of scale. It might be a bad example, but even in WH40K, the Astartes were but the barest fraction of humanity's overall population. How many of them are there in the entire Milky Way galaxy? A million? Less? More? Compared to the untold trillions of humans in the galaxy, that's nothing. If we make 100 Praetorians a year, we would easily outpace the Space Marines on a per capita basis.

They're elite forces, not the unnamed mooks who make up the Legion. A hundred mid-level PC equivalents in the right place and the right time can do shit that would be completely impossible for an army of 10,000 plus.

Yeah, I'm starting to ramble now. :oops:
 
spiritualatheist said:
I've never gotten objections like this. I generally assume that nobody is actually speaking English, and what we are getting is always a translation. So I interpret this kind of thing as a translation of a word that indicates a title roughly equivalent to a count, like how we translate some ancient Chinese titles as Count or Marquis.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
it's essentially an issue with immersion, I think. People see a term or name that doesn't seem to fit in the setting and it pulls them out of the narrative. SOD is a funny thing.
Also some people just straight up don't like certain titles, and think they sound silly/ bad. For instance I have trouble taking the title of 'Earl' seriously, it's like naming someone the 'Kevin' of wherever.
 
Last edited:
Goldfish said:
I wouldn't include the cost of gear into the equation, dude. 4000 IM per super-soldier is actually really, really good for what we're getting here. It's important to me, at least, that we're doing so in a neat manner, exploiting our resources to the fullest without actually doing so in what I would think of as a cheesy way.

We are choosing to gear them up in expensive stuff to make them that much more effective, but they would still be pretty great in simple Legion gear.

Sure, we won't be able to field huge armies of them, but that's an issue of scale. It might be a bad example, but even in WH40K, the Astartes were but the barest fraction of humanity's overall population. How many of them are there in the entire Milky Way galaxy? A million? Less? More? Compared to the untold trillions of humans in the galaxy, that's nothing. If we make 100 Praetorians a year, we would easily outpace the Space Marines on a per capita basis.

They're elite forces, not the unnamed mooks who make up the Legion. A hundred mid-level PC equivalents in the right place and the right time can do shit that would be completely impossible for an army of 10,000 plus.

Yeah, I'm starting to ramble now. :oops:
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
A Chapter are 1,000 Space Marines and a Legion used to be somewhere around 100,000, so there were 2 million-ish Space Marines during the Great Crusade.

And you are forgetting the 3,200 IM worth of Adamantine crammed into them for beefyness.
 
Sqweaktoy said:
I like the idea of it being mostly unadorned metal. It gives the Praetorian Guard an aura of brutal practicality. The fact that the metal is Valyrian Steel prevents it from feeling cheap as a result though, which is nice.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I like that idea as well.

There is also the nature of Valryian Steel that must be accounted for. We know that through some weird magical process, the stuff basically corrodes any other metals that are left in physical contact with it, gold included. We can get around this issue, but it would just be additional hassle that we don't really need. If we want to include some color, it could be in their cloaks or something else they wear.
 
Azel said:
A Chapter are 1,000 Space Marines and a Legion used to be somewhere around 100,000, so there were 2 million-ish Space Marines during the Great Crusade.

And you are forgetting the 3,200 IM worth of Adamantine crammed into them for beefyness.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Even with two million Space Marines, my example holds up quite well. With there apparently being quadrillions of humans in the Milky Way, a mere two million Space Marines don't even equal the mass of humanity's collected belly button lint.

The Adamantine is another choice on our parts that is great because we can afford it, but not really one we need to use. If it was simply Hardened Steel, they would have the same AC bonus but lose the DR 2/--. We're paying for quality, not quantity.
 
Snowfire said:
For their cloaks, something like this:

Crimson outer cover with a Targ dragon rampant in black, trimmed in gold. Black inner cover for use on stealth missions. Entire thing fully weatherproofed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

While trying to find something completely different, I don't think we've come across it yet and it may make us the most beloved by soldiers for all time.

Bed of Iron

Edit:
And what I was looking for was Emblazon Crest, create a Coat of Arms for the institution and have it be toggleable to let them go stealth.
 
Last edited:
Azel said:
A Chapter are 1,000 Space Marines and a Legion used to be somewhere around 100,000, so there were 2 million-ish Space Marines during the Great Crusade.

And you are forgetting the 3,200 IM worth of Adamantine crammed into them for beefyness.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


The legions varied greatly in size, and from what I know their were not even a million astartes during the time when great crusade was in full swing.

They had a massive attrition rate and I believe the average astartes only lived for 15 years during 30k. Their were times when entire legions were nearly destroyed even before the horus heresy. Like the Rangdan(?) xenocide.
 
Last edited:
Goldfish said:
Even with two million Space Marines, my example holds up quite well. With there apparently being quadrillions of humans in the Milky Way, a mere two million Space Marines don't even equal the mass of humanity's collected belly button lint.

The Adamantine is another choice on our parts that is great because we can afford it, but not really one we need to use. If it was simply Hardened Steel, they would have the same AC bonus but lose the DR 2/--. We're paying for quality, not quantity.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wasn't disputing your point, just wanted to add numbers.
DkArthas said:
The legions varied greatly in size, and from what I know their were not even a million astartes during the great crusade, more like 500-800k.

They had a massive attrition rate and I believe the average astartes only lived for 15 years during 30k.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not according to the list I found in the Lexicanum.
 
Azel said:
As for the name, reminder here that it takes 2 names. One for the person enhanced by the procedure (Praetorian) and the other for the military organisation of them as a fighting force (Praetorian Guard). I definitely want some Praetorians in the Inquisition on a permanent base, so that's not entirely equivalent groups, hence needing two names.

And let me clean up another nonsensical argument: it's not "faux latin", it's latin. Praetori is the name of a elite guard, usually protecting nobles or generals, that's been in use in Rome so long that etymologists can't quite figure out where it's even gotten started. So in absence of a old Valyrian culture to take our cues from, it's a perfectly fine name.

Let me also reiterate my utter distaste for any names that are flat out wrong. Anything referencing a king or knight is a non-starter, as those are not knight and we are not a king for much longer.

Imperial Guard sounds peachy to me.
Pillars on the other hand is a cheap JoJo meme.
How about The Almighty Tallest?
I would toss in Immortals, but that has some issues itself.
Pretty much everything Greek is a non-starter, as the pseudo-Greek Valyria doesn't actually share the mythology.

In real-life, these formations were almost always called "[Ruler Title Level] Guard" or "[Government Form] Guard", so I would just stick with Imperial Guard if Praetorian Guard is too latin. But, you know, 3000 years of people naming stuff have not managed to bring much variation in that scheme, so maybe that "Rome Expy" "argument" isn't holding water.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not to insult anyone's taste in anime, but the very little I've seen of JoJo looked pretty stupid, so I never got into it at all. I have no idea what Pillars has to do with it.

I think Pillars of the Realm would be a neat organization for the Praetorians, but just like all the other suggestions, I'm not married to any of them. I still think calling our super-soldiers Praetorians is perfectly fine, though a good compromise could be to call their organization something different.

What about the Guard? It's simple, but can carry a world of meaning through simple inflection and context.

"What's your son doing nowadays, Doris?"

"Oh, that man-child finally got a job as a night guard down by the docks."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
vs
"What's your son doing nowadays, Doris?"

"Oh, my boy was accepted into The Guard."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Azel said:
I wasn't disputing your point, just wanted to add numbers.

Not according to the list I found in the Lexicanum.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, I misunderstood you. I apologize. 2 million sounds about right for the beginning of the horus heresy and end of the great crusade. I was more talking about early to mid crusade.
 
Last edited:
Remove ads
Part MMDCXXIV: Crimson Dreams
  • Threadmarks
    • Crimson Dreams​

    Fifteenth Day of the Eighth Month 293 AC

    After a hurried explanation to Doran that leaves the Prince of Dorne far less bemused than it might once have done you begin laying spell after spell to shroud you like a mantel, not of wards and protections for you trust those already set, but rather blessings of silver tongue and quick riposte, the better to end this without a fight. This Red Priestess is a potential threat yes, but also perhaps an ally if you might make her see reason as you did her fellows in Volantis. After all, you had met many of your closest allies and dearest friends in circumstances that could have all too easily come to a fight. If only she did not have a god looking over her shoulder...

    "Farewell, Highness. Vee can take Elia and Rhaenys on to Sorcerer's Deep if I am delayed," you say before grasping tightly the ethereal threads that cross the world from end to end. You fix in your mind Malarys' face and brace yourself against the familiar rush of color and sound as the last syllable twists like a key in some cosmic lock.

    ***​

    Red are the sands for which these wastes were named and red the worn stone of Quthresh under the desert sun. Red also is the blood of your companions, still staining their robes, the mark of a fight just won, and yet through all of this the priestess still stands out in simple crimson robes and hair like flame, an arcane ruby pendant glittering at her throat, her presence almost demanding your attention. Unfortunately you do not do very well with demands.

    "Are you alright? Do you need more healing?" you ask your friends. Only after all of them had answered yes do you turn back to the woman in red, a frown now marring her delicate features.

    "This is a somewhat surprising turn of events. There is a very fine audience chamber you could have come to if you wanted to speak with me. It would have been less... rustic..." Trailing off you motion to the sands, the stones and what looks like the remains of a richly-dressed desiccated corpse. "My name is Viserys Targaryen and I shall not bore you with my titles, for I assume that crowns and kingdoms mean little to you. By what name may I call you in turn?"

    "I am Melisandre of..." she hesitates a moment and you cannot tell if it is theatrics or true uncertainty. "Of many places, though it is in Asshai by the Shadow that I have dwelt most recently."

    The revelation intrigues you as you suspect she had known it would, yet you do not follow the lure. "I assume this meeting is about the one title you would care about. It seems like the one and only thing most Red Priests want to talk with me about these days."

    "Then you have had the good fortune of meeting many wise priests, for what if not that would be the business of R'hllor's servants in these days when Night draws close from east and west alike?" she replies, voice soft, yes, though distant as she looks not upon the present but some distant memory or vision. "I do not think you are Theirs, even though you consort with that..." she motions towards Rina distastefully, sending a flare of anger through your veins. "A fortunate thing to be sure for all the world, yet you speak lightly of fate and of salvation. Tell me, Dragon King, are you just another warlord dreaming of riches and power or do you dream of fire that lies at the Heart of all Creation? Do you see the truth?"

    What do you reply?

    [] Write in

    OOC: An unusually short update, maybe I should have put it up last night. Though on the other hand it could have become a fight too depending on the rolls, and those are very long.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top